medical Definition of boutonneuse fever
: a tick-borne illness of the Mediterranean region, central Asia and especially India, and Africa that is typically marked by mild symptoms including fever, headache, and red rash with both raised and flat lesions but may in rare cases progress to a more serious disease with neurological complications
Note:
Boutonneuse fever is caused by a rickettsial bacteria (Rickettsia conorii) transmitted by the brown dog tick. A button-like ulcer known as a tache noire develops at the site of the tick bite. Boutonneuse fever is known regionally by other names such as Mediterranean spotted fever and Marseilles fever in southern Europe, tick-bite fever in Africa, and Indian tick typhus in India.
